Coffee, Tea and Water Zone

Coffee

Discovery of coffee

Ethiopia is generally regarded as the birthplace of coffee. Legend has it that Kaldi, an Ethiopian goatherd, noticed that his herd of goats became more energetic when grazing on coffee shrubs and eating the cherry-red berries containing the beans. Kaldi thought that he would try eating a few berries himself, and soon became as energised as his flock.

A group of local monks heard Kaldi’s story and tried eating the berries themselves. They found that the berries helped to keep them awake during long prayer sessions. They experimented with the berries and found that, if crushed and soaked in water, they produced a cold drink that also produced a stimulating effect.

• The first coffee beans arrived from Africa in al-Makkha, later known as Mocha over 1,000 years ago.
• In Mocha in around 1200 a hermit called al-Shadhili apparently brewed the first mug of a coffee bean drink.
• Coffee first came to Europe in 1615. Initially, coffee was mainly sold by lemonade vendors and was believed to have medicinal qualities. The first European coffee house opened in Venice in 1683.
• The largest insurance market in the world, Lloyd's of London, began life as a coffeehouse. It was started in 1688 by Edward Lloyd, who prepared lists of the ships that his customers had insured.
• In the 1970s, Seattle was the birthplace of a café or 'Latte' culture which swept the USA and has dramatically improved the general quality of the coffee Americans drink.

What is Coffee?

Coffee is the seed of a coffee berry and is grown on coffee trees. Of the 73 species of coffee tree only two are cultivated commercially, Arabica Coffea Arabica and Robusta Coffea Canephora.

Coffee belongs to the botanical family Rubiaceae, which has some 500 genera and over 6,000 species. Most are tropical trees and shrubs which grow in the lower levels of forests. Other members of the family include the gardenias and plants which yield quinine and other useful substances, but Coffea is by far the most important member of the family economically.

Coffee cultivation

Arabica grows at altitudes of over 1000mtrs in temperatures ranging from 15°-24° C.

• 6-8 mtrs tall
• 0.8 – 1.7% Caffeine
• 70% worlds consumption is Arabica

Robusta grows at altitudes of less than 1000mtrs in temperatures ranging from 24° C and over. 

• 10 mtrs tall
• 1.5 – 4 % caffeine

Coffee harvesting and processing

There are two methods of harvesting coffee, stripping and picking. Coffee is then processed by one of two methods, either, dry or wet.

During dry processing, cherries are spread thinly out on the ground in the sun. They dehydrate and the pulp shrivels.

During wet processing, cherries are soaked in water to soften the pulp. Rotten beans float to the surface and are separated. The cherries are transferred to fermentation tanks where the rest of the pulp decomposes and is removed. This process takes 12-48 hours.

The cherries are then laid out on patios to dry for three weeks (or 2 days mechanically). At this stage they can be washed again to remove excess bitterness and defects.

The dry process gives a cup of coffee with more body and sweetness and the taste is not as clean. The Wet Process gives cleaner more acidic and aromatic coffee with less body.

Seven steps to sorting coffee

1. Beans are separated from leaves, sticks, dust, stones
2. Any pieces of metal, iron or bits of wire are removed magnetically
3. Beans are passed through screens for size grading
4. Beans are sorted by density and defects are rejected
5. Colorimeter detects any over or under ripe beans which are ejected by compressed air.
6. Sorting by ultra violet light gets rid of any rotten (stinker beans).
7. A final sorting is done by hand picking.

Coffee baristas

A barista is someone who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks. The word is Italian in origin, where it means bartender.

The term is often used to describe someone who has acquired some level of expertise or particular skill in the preparation of coffee based drinks.

There are professional baristas who are highly skilled in coffee preparation. Championship competitions are held for competing baristas who demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of coffee, coffee blends, espresso, quality, coffee varieties, roast degree, espresso equipment and maintenance and even latte art.

Tea

Tea was first sold in Europe in 1610.

The caffeine content of a cup of tea is usually less than 60 mg, but a strong cup of tea may contain more caffeine than a weak cup of regular coffee.

Drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water say researchers in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. They claim that tea rehydrates as well as water does.

Experts believe flavonoids are the key ingredient in tea that promote health. These antioxidants are found in many foods and plants, including tea leaves, and have been shown to help prevent cell damage.

Public health nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton, and colleagues at Kings College London, looked at published studies on the health effects of tea consumption.  They found evidence that drinking three to four cups of tea a day can cut the chances of having a heart attack.

Water

Why do we need water?

Water is essential for the body's growth and maintenance. For example, it helps get rid of waste and regulates temperature.
Water is lost from the body through urine and sweat, and must be replaced through the diet. If you don't consume enough you can become dehydrated, causing symptoms such as headaches, tiredness and loss of concentration.

How much do we need?

The body gets its fluid from three sources:

• Drinks, either plain water or as part of other beverages including tea, coffee and squash
• Solid foods, especially fruit and vegetables (even foods such as bread and cheese provide small amounts of fluid)
• As a by-product of chemical reactions within the body

Most healthy adults need between one and a half to three litres a day, so aim to drink six to eight medium glasses of fluid daily. Beverages such as tea, coffee and fruit juices count towards fluid intake, and may bring with them other nutrients or benefits.

Chocolate

Chocolate is made from beans grown on a small evergreen tree native to the tropical region of the Americas.

• There are three main types of cacao bean. The Criollo is the most sought after, as it is more aromatic and less bitter than any other bean.
• The fruit of the tree is called a cacao pod and contains up to 60 beans in a white pulp.
• The cacao beans are harvested and then fermented, dried, roasted and shelled. The resulting cacao nibs are ground into a paste, called chocolate liquor, which is then refined further.
• Cacao is believed to have first been cultivated by ancestors of the Maya people thousands of years ago. After fermenting, roasting and grinding the beans it was mixed with chilli and spices to make a chocolate drink with a kick!
• Hot chocolate was first brought by the Spanish from the Americas to Spain in 1528.
• Chocolate drinks were hugely popular in 17th century Europe, and the first chocolate house opened in London in 1657.